With intern#331, I scried the future by reading the bones in the Skull’s scat (recall, we clean out his chamber pot). Noting the arrangement of osseous matter, extended ligaments, and larvae-ridden marrow, it seems likely that
(1) the remains are from intern#127 and ....
(2) The KS will offer a special issue not available in print through any other channel. (It will be available in PDF elsewhere, but the print version will only be available through this KS.)
People who have already subscribed can extend their subscriptions via the KS. Click here to be notified of the ~Oct 24th Kickstarter:
Also, the day prior to the launch, Sat. Oct 23rd, expect some video extravaganza. See here an excerpt clipping from Tales from the Magician's Skull #6:
Tales From the Magician's Skull Welcomes Grave Lindberg, Jr. as Publicity Thrall
Content reposted from the Goodman Games site:
It pleases the Skull to announce the hiring of Intern #331 to the position of Publicity Thrall, tasked with the propagation of news and announcements concerning Tales From the Magician’s Skull in the realmspace of the interwebs. Furthermore, the Skull anticipates a job opening along very similar lines to materialize in around 4-6 months, and will be accepting applications for Intern #322 at that time.
A surviving participant of the Skull’s recent Open Call, Intern #331’s initial task at Skull HQ was the preparation and serving of coffee, a task he performed poorly. Therefore he was enrolled in the Skull’s continuing education program and imbarred in a kennel, forcibly separated from his Teddy Bear “Rufus,” the suspected source of a degree of retrograde emotionalism on his part, and commanded to ‘seriously contemplate’ his career aspirations. In a move that greatly impressed management, he was utterly forgotten about for several weeks, and #331’s ability to both not overburden his superiors with ephemera and not lose his mind in the oubliette of horrors wherein he was confined recommended him for promotion. When it was realized he was one of the few survivors of the Open Call by dint of his misplacement, this ‘interred intern’s’ upward trajectory was all but assured.
As one of the select survivors, #331 earned the much-coveted Intern-of-the-Year Award, which he is permitted to gawp at in the vault on the first Tuesday of every odd-numbered month. But far grander than this, Intern #331 has been allowed to remain at the Skull’s side for even more TFTMS publishing-world experience, and he will even hereafter be known by his mortal name outside official documentation (though he is forbidden the removal of his numerical tattoo). And, while the Skull cannot currently recall his actual name . . . he is certain it rhymes with Hindenburg.
(Upon further review of both the thaumaturgical archives and the kennel sign in sheet, it has been determined that Intern #331’s name is in fact Grave Lindberg, Jr.)
This Fall, #331’s role primarily involves the ritual cleansing of the Skull’s chamber pot, but he will also be expected to broadcast public announcements while manning the pillory. We have little hope he will last, but please join us in welcoming another pair of hands in service of the Skull!
Proud to have contributed the caboose story in this one with my story "Queen of Hearts" that pits Man vs. Nature.
"Queen of Hearts" is Horror-Noir, a humorous, bloody take on a New Orleans steeped in coffee, rather than alcohol; when criminals weaponize coffee beans, Nature wins. "Queen of Hearts" illustrates that Man can only try to manage other naive Men; Nature is not ours to control.
The story was inspired years ago when I visited New Orleans and met fellow Perseid Press/Heroika authors Charles Gramlich and Beth Paxton.
Every year, WEIRDBOOK Magazine publishes a collection of short stories to thrill and delight readers worldwide. This year, we challenged authors to come up with memorable takes on the zombies, and the result is this fantastic collection of 34 new stories. Included are:
Plus poetry by Ashley Dioses, Avra Margariti, Josh Maybrook, Darrell Schweitzer, Lori R. Lopez, Allan Rozinski, K.A. Opperman, Gregg Chamberlain, Robert Borski, David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Colleen Anderson, and David C. Kopaska-Merkel.
The Sword & Sorcery group on Goodreads is polling for the group topics for Nov-Dec. Usually, the top two choices get highlighted for the duration. Join in....vote..read!
This is part of a set of posts summarizing my GenCon 2021 experience:
Okay, without any Writer's Symposium volunteering to do Wed. night I arranged a visit with Joe Bonadonna and David C. Smith. They live in Chicago, and I figured I could handle a ~7hr round trip (3.5hrs each way) drive to see them during the time slot I planned to network in Indianapolis. We had a four-hour discussion over lunch at Moretti's Ristorante.
Joe has had my back ever since 2015 when he reviewed Lords of Dyscrasia for Black Gate. Since then, he and I have shared several TOCs for Perseid Press's Heroes in Hell and Heroika anthologies. Great guy, His Dorgo the Dowser books are fun to read, in part since Dorgo feels like a natural extension of him.
Meeting David C. Smith in person was awesome too. Of course, he and Joe have partnered to write several short stories and the Waters of Darkness novel. I got to know David via reviewing his Oron books (including this tour guide on Black Gate). Managed to update his wikipedia page too as I worked with him to iron out the reading order (check out his photo!).
These two both have muses rooted in cinema. I soaked up their conversation as best I could. Was honored to share signing books with them.
I recognized Unsheathed in Jay Erikson's booth (I'm a big Charles Gramlich fan who has a contribution in this Sword & Sorcery book). Had a great conversation about gamifying novels into 5e or Pathfinder modules, and learned about the July 8-10 2020 Imaginarium symposium (entertheimaginarium.com).
This is part of a set of posts summarizing my GenCon 2021 experience:
